Lt. Leary, Commanding

I had no complaint about this book on first reading, except that the generally likeable and intelligent leading man likes to spend his leisure time drinking vast amounts of alcohol and having sex with a series of brainless women. The leading lady, who is even more intelligent, drinks little and has no interest in sex of any kind. Well, both characters are intentionally heroic but flawed; they grew up with family dysfunctions and traumas of different kinds, and have some psychological problems.

On second reading, and after having read the rest of the series, I'd say this one is somewhat less good than average. The situations on land and in space are OK, but there are other books in the series that I find more appealing.

However, if you want to read the whole series, you probably shouldn't skip this one, because it includes some significant developments in the life of Adele Mundy (the leading lady), providing the transition between her situation in the first book and her situation for the rest of the series.